


Thankful and Thankless

by FatalFlaw03



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gay Cats, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, I’m bad at titles, M/M, Maybe Cannon?, im bad at dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatalFlaw03/pseuds/FatalFlaw03
Summary: Puddleshine is most definitely not falling for the brave Tom that is saving his life. That said, it would be sad to see him go so soon.
Relationships: Alderheart/Puddleshine (Warriors)
Kudos: 6





	Thankful and Thankless

Puddleshine felt terrible he was just barely getting better after his illness. For a while he had given up hope of ever being cured, he knew that Alderheart was giving him death berries because of StarClan but that didn’t mean he trusted them. Sure Yellowfang had taught him all he knew but even knowing that he still had his doubts. How could something designed for killing be so useful? He didn’t know but he trusted the other medicine cats with his life, literally.

Even when he went into a trance like state, he could hear his leader demand he be taken back to camp. He didn’t know what would happen if Alderheart stopped giving him his treatment halfway through but he was smart enough to realize that it probably wouldn’t be good. He wondered what would happen would Alderheart come with him to ShadowClan or would he leave him to die because Tigerstar forbid it? He could only hear bits and pieces after that before he blacked out.

When he was back at the ShadowClan camp he realized that Alderheart had come with him. His heart flipped because of the strange illness that was affecting him. It had to be that because the other option was a lot worse and a lot less convenient. He could not be growing hot because of how kind and brave the older tom had been to come with him. Knowing Tigerstar he would probably attack Alderheart if he died and blameing his death on the berries.

The next thing he knew he was back in his nest, he was wondering why everything hurt when it all came rushing back to him; the twoleg trash, ThunderClan, the berries, and then he remembered Alderheart coming with him. He flushed remembering the way his ginger pelt had looked standing over him in the starlight. Then he realized that that last one wasn’t a memory Alderheart was standing over him offering him the red flesh of the berries. “Oh well,” he though, “I’m all in already, I might as well stick to one treatment plan.” He dutifully ate the berries and stayed awake long enough to watch Alderheart curl up and sleep in the spare den.

That night he dreamed of nothing and hoped that was a good sign. Soon enough he was able to walk around, although ploddingly. Alderheart had kept feeding him deathberries, but eventually switched to conventional medicines. He felt grateful towards the ginger tom for helping him and he knew that he would have to leave soon. He was running out of excuses to keep him around starting that he might have a relapse.

He had to keep the thought of admiration for Alderheart out of his mind because it was all too likely that he would be dead soon. Less likely then before but he was still weakened, the deathberries were not a kind remedy. He had gone his whole life without doing anything too overtly against the code, even staying with those rogues to be loyal to his clan. Being rejected from star clan now after all that he had been through wasn’t an option. After all how could he see Alderheart again if he wasn’t in StarClan with him?

This was going to be a lot hard see then he thought it would be. One day when Alderheart was organizing the herb stores he caught Puddleshine staring, “what’s wrong, are these not supposed to go here? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention when trying to save your life.”

From anyone else that would have been an insult or seem sarcastic in some way, but when it came from Alderheart it just sounded like he was embarrassed and a little bit anxious. “No, those are supposed to go over here with the nettles!” He replied to him a teasing edge creeping into his voice.

Alderheart just blushed and fixed it, the yarrow really wasn’t supposed to be with the nettles, they were too easy to mix up. That said he did have to cover up his mistake somehow. “Hey Puddleshine?”

The other cat speaking snapped him out of his mental wanderings. “What?” It probably took him longer then it should have to reply to the him.

“Do you want the burdock with the oak leaves or do you want them somewhere else?” He looked at him questioningly and for a moment Puddleshine just stared into his eyes before he realized that he had a question to answer.

“Umm, yeah. Sorry, I think I’m a little sluggish from the disease after all” he through out his half-hearted excuse begging him with his eyes for him to believe it. Apparently some part of Alderheart subconsciously got the message because he sprung into action.

“Oh no, if you’re too tired then you’ll have to sleep! Go lie down in your nest.”

“But Alderheart-“ he whined, playing the role of a kit perfectly, “ I don’t want to, it’s too cold!”

“Fine!” he retorted, by this point Puddleshine was already back in his nest. “If it is too cold back there then I’ll just have to warm you up.” Alderheart said with a smile while laying down in the nest beside him. Puddleshine tensed, and then he hated himself for it, platonic friends do this all the time. After thinking that though he immediately brushed that thought aside. Raising his hopes now would only make the crash that much harder.

Alderheart apparently didn’t notice him tense, that or he thought it was for some other reason like he was invading his private space. Puddleshine was just starting to relax when Alderheart tentatively started to groom him. Puddleshine tensed again but luckily he was already so clenched that it wasn’t noticeable.

All too soon Alderheart had to leave ShadowClan and Puddleshine was back to being alone with only the occasional patient for company. They all had the usual ailments a thorn in the paw, spoiled prey. Being left alone with them probably wasn’t healthy but that was who he had left. Well that and his wandering thoughts anyway. Those always returned to one subject, a subject that was most certainly not supposed to be the subject of his thoughts.

This was starting to get creepy, especially because he was sure that Alderheart didn’t feel that way about him. He needed to stop obsessing over the ginger medicine cat. For all he knew, he was still mourning Needletait. It was obvious that he had crush on Needletail ever since they were apprentices and she was older then Puddleshine was anyway and so why did it matter. Why does any of this matter. He just realized he went into another negative, stressful thought spiral and that wasn’t healthy for anyone now was it. Then he realized he had just spent a lot of time thinking about Alderheart especially for not thinking about him.

This was when he made the decision to go herb gathering. His surplus of supplies was running low especially with all the herbs Alderheart had used to treat him with. Then he wondered just how long it had been since he had collected herbs and came to a scary realization; he didn’t know! Quickly getting ready to go he headed out into the forest... or at least he tried to, there was only one problem, it was sunset and it was supposed to be time for him to rest.

None of that mattered to him he wasn’t the one who needed these herbs, at least not any more now there were others that would need them now. He thought back to the time he was ill, not to Alderheart this time but to how he felt during that time. He wouldn’t wish that kind of suffering on anyone, okay maybe Darktail but that was beside the point. So he set his mind on the task at hand. It was at this point he realized that he had no idea what he was meant to be gathering.

Return after taking stock of his herbs he headed out to get more watermint because he was especially low on that front. Heading down to the lake he noticed a smell as he was walking, was that a hydrangea? He had only smelled the scent once before and that was on Tigerstar when he was receiving his lives at The Moonpool after his long journey. All that considered how was one growing here? He didn’t think that they were native to this forest, then he wondered how long it had been there because it would be easy to miss especially without its petals.

Starring at it deeply as if trying to unravel its secrets the color of the petals reminded him of something but he couldn’t remember what. Thinking that he could always come back to it later he decided that he was going to transplant the flower, he left it there to pick up later when he had the time. He kept moving towards the lake and the precious watermint it stored within.

Returning back to camp with his jaws stuffed full of watermint and a oddly colored hydrangea dangeling precariously from his tail he must have been quite the sight to everyone, luckily they were all asleep. Everything was silent even the birds, Puddleshine realized that he had been more alone as of late. He hadn’t had a conversation with a cat longer than fifteen words since his illness.

He needed to edit his definition of everyone, there had been one cat that he had many long conversations with. It was just that he was trying really hard not to think about the cat that had saved his life from almost certain death. It was a good thing he wouldn’t have to see Alderheart at the halfmoon meeting for another few days, he couldn’t wait but at the same time he didn’t want it to happen, if he was reminded that he could never be with the other medicine cat one more time, his heart might just break in two.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Team Alderpuddle needs more love!


End file.
